CMIT presents its report

Lahore: An initial report into fire that engulfed a shoe factory in Lahore has been presented to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday.

The fire that broke out in a factory in Lahore on Tuesday killed 25 people when sparks from a generator hit chemicals used to make shoes. Some of the people died from suffocation while others burned alive when the flames ripped through the chemicals, he said. The fire erupted when people in the building were trying to start their generator after the electricity went out. Sparks from the generator made contact with the chemicals, igniting the blaze.

Pakistan faces widespread blackouts, and many people use generators to provide electricity for their houses or to run businesses. The fire is likely to add to public outrage over the government s failure to provide sufficient power.

Firefighters broke holes in the solid brick walled buildings to reach victims inside. At the morgue, bodies were lined up on a hallway floor, covered with white sheets.One of the workers, Muhammad Shabbir, said he had been working at the factory for six months along with his cousin.He said all the chemicals and the generator were located in the garage, which was also the only way out of the building.

When the fire ignited, there was no way out. Shabbir said he had just gone outside the factory when the fire started but his cousin was severely burned and died at the hospital.